Wet wipes container having improved strength

ABSTRACT

A container including a container base and a container lid that is connected to the container base. The container base includes a bottom and a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls that extend upwardly from the bottom to provide an interior for containing the wet wipes. At least one of the walls has a plurality of generally linear ribs formed therein.

RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the priority of U.S. application Ser. No.60/202,290 of inventors Yung H. Huang et al. filed May 5, 2000, which isincorporated herein by reference.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0002] Wet wipes are well known commercial consumer products which havebeen available in many forms. Perhaps the most common form of wet wipeshas been a stack of moistened sheets which have been packaged in aplastic container. The wet wipes have been made from a variety ofmaterials which have been moistened with a variety of suitable wipingsolutions. Typically, the wet wipes have been stacked in the containerin either a folded or unfolded configuration. For example, containers ofwet wipes have been available wherein each of the wet wipes stacked inthe container has been arranged in a folded configuration such as ac-folded, z-folded or quarter-folded configuration as are well known tothose skilled in the art. Some of the folded wet wipes have also beeninterfolded with the wet wipes immediately above and below in the stackof wet wipes. In an alternative configuration, the wet wipes have beenplaced in the container in the form of a continuous web of materialwhich includes perforations to separate the individual wet wipes andwhich is wound into a roll. Such wet wipes have been used for babywipes, hand wipes, household cleaning wipes, industrial wipes and thelike.

[0003] The conventional packages which contain wet wipes, such as thosedescribed above, have typically been designed to be positioned on a flatsurface such as a countertop. Such conventional packages have generallyprovided a plastic container or tub which provides a sealed environmentfor the wet wipes to ensure that they do not become overly dry. Some ofthe conventional packages have also been configured to provide one at atime dispensing of each wet wipe which can be accomplished using asingle hand after the package has been opened. Such single handed, oneat a time dispensing is particularly desirable because the other hand ofthe user or care giver is typically required to be simultaneously usedfor other functions. For example, when changing a diaper product on aninfant, the care giver typically uses one hand to hold and maintain theinfant in a desired position while the other hand is attempting todispense a baby wipe to clean the infant.

[0004] However, the opening of such conventional containers for wetwipes has not been completely satisfactory. For example, manyconventional containers are not capable of being opened by a single handor, if designed for opening by a single hand, are not easy to open witha single hand for all users. In such containers, the user typically hasto open the package with both hands before dispensing a wet wipe. Manyof such containers have been hard to open because they have included acover which provides a positive frictional seal with the container bodywhen closed to ensure that the wet wipes do not become overly dry. Inaddition, many conventional containers have included relatively smallopening mechanisms which are difficult to manipulate with a single hand.

[0005] Another difficulty associated with conventional containers forwet wipes is that the lids of the containers typically must either becompletely open or completely closed. Depending on the weight of the wetwipes remaining in the container, the container may tip backwards fromthe weight of an open lid. Therefore, conventional containers do notprovide for a partially open position between the lid and the base ofthe container. Consequently, as the supply of wet wipes in the containeris depleted, it becomes more difficult to obtain a wipe from thecontainer using a single hand. In some conventional containers, there ispoor alignment between the container lid and the container base. Thepoor alignment hinders the user's ability to secure the lid to the base,particularly when the operation must be done with a single hand.

[0006] With some wet wipe uses, such as with wet wipes for diaperchanges, the container holding the wipes is opened and closed with greatfrequency. Frequent opening and closing of the container lid causes wearand stress on the connection or attachment between the lid and the base.After a number of opening and closing cycles, the connection can beginto fail and, in some cases, will result in the container lid tearingaway from the container base. The rough surface produced by a torn lidcan catch on skin or on fabric, thus becoming a nuisance. In the past,the exterior contours of some conventional containers have had rightangles with rough edges that can catch on skin or fabric. For example,right angles often exist at the connection point between container lidsand container bases.

[0007] During shipping and storage of the containers, the containers areoften stacked vertically on top of each other. The stacking can be doneon a pallet or within a shipping/storage container. The verticalstacking of the containers on top of each other results in a substantialforce acting on the top of the container. If the container does not havesufficient compressive strength, the lid or base can become deformed byoutward bowing or buckling. Some conventional containers have not beendesigned to withstand the magnitude of force experienced during routineshipping and storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In response to the difficulties and problems discussed above, anew container for wet wipes that can have improved opening anddispensing, can be capable of maintaining a partially open position, canhave improved alignment between lid and base, can have improved tearresistance and can have improved compression strength has beendiscovered. The purposes and advantages of the present invention will beset forth in and apparent from the description that follows, as well aswill be learned by practice of the invention. Additional advantages ofthe invention will be realized and attained by the containersparticularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof,as well as from the appended drawings.

[0009] In one aspect, the present invention relates to a wet wipecontainer that includes a container base and a container lid. Thecontainer lid is connected to the container base. The container lid andthe container base can be a single component or can be separatecomponents. The connection between the container lid and the containerbase can be in the form of an ultrasonic bond, an interlocking hinge orother form of connection known in the art. The container lid has a topand a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls. Thewalls extend downwardly from the top of the container lid in a generallyrectangular configuration. The walls can also extend downward in agenerally trapezoidal configuration. The container base has a bottom anda front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of opposed side walls. The wallsextend upwardly from the bottom of the container base in a generallyrectangular configuration to provide an interior for containing the wetwipes. The walls can also extend upward in a generally trapezoidalconfiguration.

[0010] The container lid can be fabricated from a polymer, copolymer ormixtures of both. For example, the container lid can be made primarilyof a copolymer of styrene-butadiene-styrene. The container lid can betransparent or translucent to, in part, facilitate determination of thequantity of wipes remaining in the container. The container base canlikewise be fabricated from a polymer, copolymer or mixtures of both.For example, the container base can be primarily made of polystyrene.The container base can be made of either an opaque, translucent ortransparent material. Dyes, tints and colorants can be added to thematerial of either the container lid or the container base. The wet wipecontainers of the invention can be beneficially used for secondarypurposes when they are no longer used to contain wet wipes. For example,the containers can be used to store small toys, art supplies and otherhousehold items. When the container lid and container base aretranslucent or transparent, it is possible to see what is inside of thecontainer without opening the lid.

[0011] The corners that are formed at the intersections of the variouswalls of the container lid and the container base can be rounded. Moreparticularly, the corners between the front walls, the rear walls, theside walls, the top and the bottom can be curvilinear. The container lidand the container base can be joined together at their respective rearwalls. The container lid and the container base can be joined orconnected by the variety of ways known in the art including byultrasonic bonds.

[0012] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a wet wipecontainer including a container base and a separate container lid thatis attached to the container base. The container lid can be attached tothe container base in a variety of ways including by a hingearrangement, by pins, by interlocking edges, by ultrasonic bonding andother ways of attachment known in the art. The container lid has a topand a front wall, rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls. The wallsextend downwardly from the top in a generally rectangular configuration.

[0013] The container lid and the container base can be eithertransparent or translucent to provide an indication of the quantity ofwet wipes remaining in the container. The container lid and thecontainer base can be made of various polymers, copolymers, and mixturesincluding polystyrene and mixtures including polystyrene. The variouscorners formed by the front walls, rear walls, side walls, the top andthe bottom of the container lid and the container base can becurvilinear.

[0014] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a wet wipecontainer that includes a container base, a container lid and a closure.The container lid is connected to the container base and either thecontainer lid itself can include a hinge or a hinge can be formedbetween the container lid and the container base. As an example of theconnection between lid and base, the container lid and the containerbase can be ultrasonically bonded together. The closure is configured toreleasably hold the container lid on the container base in a closedposition.

[0015] In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a wetwipe container that includes a container base and a container lid thatis connected to the container base. The container base includes a bottomand a front wall, rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls. The wallsextend upwardly from the bottom in a generally rectangular configurationto provide an interior for containing the wet wipes. The walls caninclude one or more generally linear ribs that are formed into thewalls. The ribs can be vertical or horizontal. The ribs can extend alongthe entire length or width of the wall(s) or the ribs can extend onlyalong a portion of the length or width of the wall(s). The ribs providethe container with improved compression strength to resist the crushingor buckling that may occur during shipping and storage. The ribs alsoprovide a more aesthetic appearance to the container.

[0016] In still another aspect, the present invention relates to a wetwipe container including a container base and a container lid that isconnected to the container base. The container base includes a bottomand a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls thatextend upwardly from the bottom to provide an interior for containingthe wet wipes. For at least two opposing walls from the group consistingof the front wall, the back wall and the opposed side walls, eachopposing wall has a plurality of generally linear ribs formed thereinwherein the plurality of generally linear ribs provide an enhancedcompression strength to the respective wall by more evenly spreading outan applied compression force for the respective walls having theplurality of generally linear ribs formed therein.

[0017] In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a wetwipe container including a container base and a container lid that isconnected to the container base. The container base includes a bottomand a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of opposed side walls thatextend upwardly from the bottom to provide an interior for containingthe wet wipes. A portion of the wall from the group consisting of thefront wall, the back wall and the opposed side walls, has a lengthdimension and a width dimension. There is also provided means forincreasing a surface area of the portion of the wall while stillmaintaining the same length dimension and the same width dimension forthe portion of the wall to thereby improve the compression strength ofthe portion of the wall.

[0018] Thus, the present invention, in its various aspects,advantageously relates to a container for wet wipes that, when comparedto conventional containers of wet wipes, provides convenient singlehanded access to the wet wipes. In particular, the present inventionprovides an aesthetically pleasing container for wet wipes that has aneasy-to-use and ergonomic closure. The containers are particularlydesirable for baby wipes intended for use in the typical diaper changingroutine in which usually only one of the hands of the care-giver isavailable for retrieval of a wet wipe. Additionally, the container ofthe invention provides better compression strength and, therefore,improved resistance to crushing and buckling.

[0019] It is to be understood that both the foregoing generaldescription and the following detailed description are exemplary and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention claimed. Theaccompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part ofthis specification, are included to illustrate and provide a furtherunderstanding of the containers of the invention. Together with thedescription, the drawings serve to explain the various aspects of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The drawings are merely representative and are not intended tolimit the scope of the claims. Like parts of the containers depicted inthe drawings are referred to by the same reference numerals.

[0021]FIG. 1 representatively shows a perspective view of an example ofa container for wet wipes according to the present invention in a closedposition;

[0022]FIG. 2 representatively shows a perspective view of the containerfor wet wipes illustrated in FIG. 1 in an open position;

[0023]FIG. 3 representatively shows a top plan view of the container forwet wipes illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0024]FIG. 4 representatively shows a bottom plan view of the containerfor wet wipes illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0025]FIG. 5 representatively shows a front elevational view of thecontainer for wet wipes illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0026]FIG. 6 representatively shows a rear elevational view of thecontainer for wet wipes illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0027]FIG. 7 representatively shows a cross-sectional end view of thecontainer for wet wipes illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0028]FIG. 8 representatively shows an expanded top plan view of thecontainer lid of the container for wet wipes illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0029]FIG. 8A representatively shows an expanded cross sectional view ofa portion of the container lid of the container for wet wipesillustrated in FIG. 8, taken along the line 8A;

[0030]FIG. 8B representatively shows an expanded cross sectional view ofa portion of the container lid of the container for wet wipesillustrated in FIG. 8, taken along the line 8B;

[0031]FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of an instrument used to measuretear resistance (closed position);

[0032]FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of an instrument used to measuretear resistance (open position);

[0033]FIG. 11A representatively shows a cross sectional view of aportion of a front wall of the container for wet wipes illustrated inFIG. 5, taken along the line A-A;

[0034]FIG. 11B representatively shows an alternate embodiment of a crosssectional view of a portion of a front wall of a container for wet wipessimilar to that illustrated in FIG. 11A;

[0035]FIG. 11C representatively shows another alternate embodiment of across sectional view of a portion of a front wall of a container for wetwipes similar to that illustrated in FIG. 11A;

[0036]FIG. 11D representatively shows another alternate embodiment of across sectional view of a portion of a front wall of a container for wetwipes similar to that illustrated in FIG. 11A;

[0037]FIG. 11E representatively shows another alternate embodiment of across sectional view of a portion of a front wall of a container for wetwipes similar to that illustrated in FIG. 11A;

[0038]FIG. 12 representatively shows a graph of a compression strengthtest run for a container like the container of the invention in allregards but without any generally linear ribs formed in the containerwalls; and,

[0039]FIG. 13 representatively shows a graph of a compression strengthtest run for a container of the invention like that seen in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] As representatively illustrated in FIGS. 1-8 and 11A to 11E,inclusive, the present invention provides a wet wipe container 20 thatis configured to dispense wet wipes in a convenient and reliable mannerfor personal use. The wet wipe container 20 includes a container base 22and a container lid 24 that is connected or attached to the containerbase 22. The container base 22 and the container lid 24 can be formed asa single piece or they can be separate pieces. The container lid 24 canbe connected to the container 22 by various mechanical and chemicalmethods known in the art, including, but not limited to, hinges,interlocking members, use of glue or other bonding material orultrasonic bonding.

[0041] The wet wipes may be arranged in the container 20 in any mannerwhich provides convenient and reliable one at a time dispensing andwhich ensures that the wet wipes do not become overly dry. For example,the wet wipes may be arranged in the container 20 as a plurality ofindividual sheets arranged in a stacked configuration to provide a stackof wet wipes which may or may not be individually folded. The wet wipesmay be individual wet wipes which are folded in a c-fold or z-foldconfiguration as are known to those skilled in the art and then stackedon top of each other to provide the stack of wet wipes. Alternatively,if the wet wipes are to be arranged in a stacked configuration in thecontainer 20, the individual wet wipes may be interfolded such that theleading and trailing end edges of successive wipes in the stackedconfiguration overlap. In such a configuration, the leading end edge ofthe trailing wet wipe is loosened from the stack by the trailing endedge of the leading wet wipe as the leading wet wipe is removed by theuser. The wet wipes may be interfolded to facilitate such dispensing bymeans known to those skilled in the art.

[0042] Alternatively, the wet wipes may be arranged in the container 20as a continuous web of interconnected wet wipes which are folded in anaccordion-like stacked configuration. The individual wet wipes may beconnected together along lines of frangibility, such as lines ofperforations, to ensure that the trailing wet wipe is in position forgrasping by the user after the leading wet wipe is removed. For example,the wet wipes may be provided by a continuous web of material which hasa series of lines of frangibility extending across the width of the web.The portion of the web of material between successive lines offrangibility provides each individual wet wipe. The lines offrangibility may be provided by means known to those skilled in the artsuch as perforations, indentations or cuts in the web of material. Forexample, the lines of frangibility or perforations may be provided inthe web of material by passing the web of material between a die cutterroll and anvil roll. After the lines of frangibility have beenincorporated into the web of material, the web may then be arranged in astacked configuration for easy insertion into the interior 38 of thecontainer 20.

[0043] The wet wipe container 20 of the present invention can compriseany suitable number of individual wet wipes depending upon the desiredpackaging and end use. For example, the container 20 may be configuredto include a stack of wet wipes which may include at least about 5 wetwipes and desirably from about 16 to about 320 individually wet wipes.

[0044] Each wet wipe is generally rectangular in shape and defines apair of opposite side edges and a pair of opposite end edges which maybe referred to as a leading end edge and a trailing end edge. Theleading end edge of each wet wipe is typically positioned in thecontainer 20 to be grasped by a user to facilitate a removal of the wetwipe from the container 20. Each wet wipe defines an unfolded width andan unfolded length. The wet wipe may have any suitable unfolded widthand length. For example, the wet wipe may have an unfolded length offrom about 2.0 to about 80.0 centimeters and desirably from about 10.0to about 25.0 centimeters and an unfolded width of from about 2.0 toabout 80.0 centimeters and desirably from about 10.0 to about 45.0centimeters.

[0045] Materials suitable for the wet wipes of the present invention arewell known to those skilled in the art. The wet wipes can be made fromany material suitable for use as a moist wipe, including meltblown,coform, air-laid, bonded-carded web materials, hydroentangled materialsand the like and can comprise synthetic or natural fibers orcombinations thereof. The wet wipes may have a basis weight of fromabout 25 to about 120 grams per square meter and desirably from about 40to about 90 grams per square meter.

[0046] In a particular aspect, the wet wipes may comprise a coformbasesheet of polymeric microfibers and cellulosic fibers having a basisweight of from about 60 to about 80 grams per square meter and desirablyabout 75 grams per square meter. Such coform basesheets are manufacturedgenerally as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,324 to Anderson et al.which issued Jul. 11, 1978, and which is herein incorporated byreference. More particularly, such coform basesheets can be manufacturedas are described as part of recently filed U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/751329, filed on Dec. 29, 2000 entitled, “Composite Material WithCloth-like Feel” of inventors Scott R. Lange et al., and which isincorporated herein by reference. Typically, such coform basesheetscomprise a gas-formed matrix of thermoplastic polymeric meltblownmicrofibers, such as, for example, polypropylene microfibers, andcellulosic fibers, such as, for example, wood pulp fibers. The relativepercentages of the polymeric microfibers and cellulosic fibers in thecoform basesheet can vary over a wide range depending on the desiredcharacteristics of the wet wipes. For example, the coform basesheet maycomprise from about 20 to about 100 weight percent, desirably from about20 to about 60 weight percent, and more desirably from about 30 to about40 weight percent of polymeric microfibers based on the dry weight ofthe coform basesheet being used to provide the wet wipes.

[0047] The wet wipes of the different aspects of the present inventioncontain a liquid which can be any solution which can be absorbed intothe wet wipes. The liquid contained within the wet wipes may include anysuitable components which provide the desired wiping properties. Forexample, the components may include water, emollients, surfactants,preservatives, chelating agents, pH buffers or combinations thereof. Theliquid may also contain lotions, ointments and/or medicaments.

[0048] The amount of liquid contained within each wet wipe may varydepending upon the type of material being used to provide the wet wipe,the type of liquid being used, the type of container being used to storethe stack of wet wipes, and the desired end use of the wet wipe.Generally, each wet wipe can contain from about 150 to about 600 weightpercent, or from about 250 to about 450 weight percent liquid based onthe dry weight of the wipe for improved wiping. In a particular aspectwherein the wet wipe is made from a coform material comprising fromabout 30 to about 40 weight percent polymeric microfibers based on thedry weight of the wipe, the amount of liquid contained within the wetwipe is from about 300 to about 400 weight percent or about 330 weightpercent based on the dry weight of the wet wipe. If the amount of liquidis less than the above-identified range, the wet wipes may be too dryand may not adequately perform in certain situations. If the amount ofliquid is greater than the above-identified range, the wet wipes may beoversaturated and soggy and the liquid may pool in the bottom of thecontainer.

[0049] As illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, the wet wipe container 20 includes acontainer base 22 that defines a bottom 28 that is connected to a frontwall 30, a rear wall 32, and a pair of opposed side walls 34 and 36. Thefront, rear and side walls extend upwardly from the bottom 28 in agenerally perpendicular manner to form a rectangular container base 22.The container base 22 can also have a trapezoidal shape. The bottom andfront, rear and side walls of the container base 22 generally define anopen interior 38 for containing the wet wipes. The wet wipe container 20also includes a container lid 24 that defines a top 40 that is connectedto a front wall 42, a rear wall 44 and a pair of opposed side walls 46and 48. The front, rear and side walls extend downwardly from the top 40in a generally perpendicular manner to form a rectangular container lid24.

[0050] The container base 22 and container lid 24 of the container 20may be provided by a variety of materials that are inexpensive andcapable of retaining liquids. Suitable materials include polypropylene,polyethylene, polystyrene and the like or combinations thereof. Forexample, the container base 22 may be fabricated from a polystyrenematerial having a thickness of from about 0.010 inches to about 0.080inches. The container lid 24 may be fabricated from a combination of astyrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer with a polystyrene material having athickness of from about 0.005 inches to about 0.060 inches.

[0051] The walls 30, 32, 34 and 36 of the container base 22 may beintegral with the bottom 28 or may include separate members that areconnected or joined to the bottom 28 to provide the container base 22.Similarly, the walls 42, 44, 46 and 48 of the container lid 24 may alsobe integral with the top 40 or may include separate members that areconnected or joined to the top 40 to provide the container lid 24.Desirably, the connections or corners between the walls and the top 40and bottom 28 of the base 22 and lid 24 are curvilinear to provide amore aesthetically pleasing container 20.

[0052] The different components of the container 20 may be provided byconventional techniques such as thermoforming or injection molding asthey are known to those of skill in the art. With respect to thecontainers of the invention, in some embodiments the container base 22and container lid 24 are provided as integral units. In some cases,injection molding techniques can be used to form the integral units.When the container base 22 and container lid 24 are separate components,thermoforming techniques typically are used.

[0053] In an embodiment of the containers of the invention, thecontainer 20 includes a container base 22 and a container lid 24 asdescribed herein. In addition to a top 40 and front wall 42, rear wall44 and side walls 46, 48, the container lid 24 can also include adownwardly extending guide ridge 50. The guide ridge 50 generally isparallel to the rear wall 44 of the container lid 24. The guide ridge 50is generally located close to or proximate the rear wall 44. The rearwall 32 of the container base 22 has an upper portion 52. The upperportion 52 is the uppermost portion of the rear wall 32 and, therefore,the portion of the rear wall 32 that comes in closest contact with thecontainer lid 24. The upper portion 52 extends along the full length ofthe rear wall 32. The upper portion 52 defines a receiving edge 54. Thereceiving edge 54 is configured to receive the guide ridge 50 of thecontainer lid 24. For example, the receiving edge 54 can be arc-shapedto receive the guide ridge 50. The receiving edge 54 receives the guideridge 50 as the container lid 24 is closed upon the container base 22.

[0054] In one embodiment of the invention, as the container lid 24 isrotated downward toward a closed position, the guide ridge 50 comes intocontact with the receiving edge 54 and the receiving edge 54 urges theguide ridge 50 downward and ahead of the receiving edge 54. Therefore,the guide ridge 50 is spaced sufficiently away from the rear wall 44 tobe able to land in front of the receiving edge 54 when the container lid24 is closed on the container base 22. Because the guide ridge 50extends downward from the top 40 of the container lid 24, the guideridge 50 can be described as having a “depth” as opposed to a height.The depth of the guide ridge 50 is sufficient to extend below the lowestpoint or bottom of the receiving edge 54. The combination of the guideridge 50 and the receiving edge 54 increases the ease with which thecontainer lid 24 can be closed on the container base 22. Further, theguide ridge 50/receiving edge 54 combination assists with the alignmentof the container lid 24 onto the container base 22 for purposes ofproviding a secure closed position. Because the container lid 24 and thecontainer base 22 are aligned properly, the container lid 24 cancompletely cover the container base 22 and there is a reduced likelihoodthat the container lid 24 will “pop” off the container base 22. If thecontainer lid 24 becomes partially or entirely detached from thecontainer base 22, moisture will be lost from the wet wipe productstored in the container 20. As a consequence, the wet wipe product losesits ability to perform its intended function.

[0055] The combination of the guide ridge 50 and the receiving edge 54also assists with single hand use of the container 20 by permitting apartially open relationship between the container lid 24 and thecontainer base 22. Typically, existing containers are only capable ofmaintaining either a completely open or a completely closed position.When only a low quantity of wet wipes remain in a container 20 and thecontainer lid 24 is in the open position, the entire container 20 cantip backwards from the weight of the container lid 24 not beingsufficiently counterbalanced. Tipping of the container 20 makes singlehand grasping of the wet wipes difficult. The partially open position isachieved when the guide ridge 50 rests on the receiving edge 54. Withcontainers of the invention, the difficulties associated with thecontainer 20 tipping over are overcome while the user can still removewet wipes from the container 20 with one hand. The container 20 of theinvention does not tip over even when no wet wipes remain in theinterior 38 of the container 20. Generally, when the container lid 24 isin the partially open position, it is approximately 1.5 inches to 3.0inches away from the container base 22. For at least these reasons, thecontainers of the invention are easier to use with a single hand andthey are more stable when small numbers of wet wipes remain in thecontainer 20.

[0056] The guide ridge 50 and the receiving edge 54 can have a varietyof configurations. Typically, the receiving edge 54 is shaped orcontoured to at least partially complement the downward facing contouror shape of the guide ridge 50. While the receiving edge has athickness, the receiving edge 54 is primarily two dimensional. Thereceiving edge 54 can extend the full length of the upper portion 52 ofthe rear wall 32 or extend only along part of the length of the upperportion 52. The guide ridge 50 has a length 51 (shown in FIG. 3), adepth 55 (depicted in FIG. 7) and a thickness 53 (depicted in FIG. 3).Generally, the length 51 of the guide ridge 50 is less than the lengthof the rear wall 44. The guide ridge 50 can desirably have a ratio ofthe length 51 of the guide ridge 50 to the length of the rear wall 44 offrom about 40% to about 90%. In most embodiments, the depth 55 of theguide ridge 50 ranges from about 0.25 inches to about 0.75 inches. Thethickness 53 of the guide ridge 50 can range from about 0.0625 inches toabout 0.25 inches. The position of the guide ridge 50 against the rearwall 32 of the container base 22 when the container lid 24 is closed isvisible in the representative cross-section of a container 20 enddepicted in FIG. 7.

[0057] As described herein, the containers of the invention can bemanufactured out of polymers, copolymers or mixtures of polymers andcopolymers. Additional components can be added to provide variousfunctionalities to either the overall container 20 or the individualcontainer base 22 and container lid 24. In one example, the containerbase 22 is formed from approximately 98% of a high impact polystyrenesuch as is available from Dow Chemical of Midland, Mich. as Dow SYTRON®484. The remainder of the composition of the container base 22 can be animpact modifier such as STEREON® which is available from the FirestoneCompany. In an example of a container lid 24 of the invention, thecontainer lid 24 is made of approximately 70% of astyrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer such as FINAPRENE™ ThermoplasticElastomers, Finaclear 520 available from the Fina Oil and ChemicalCompany. The container lid 24 can also include approximately 20% of ageneral purpose polystyrene such as FINA® Polystyrene 524B availablefrom the Fina Oil and Chemical Company. The container lid 24 can furtherinclude approximately 10% of a high impact polystyrene such as the DowSYTRON® 484. If desired, the container lid 24 can include a colorant inan amount of from about 0.08% to about 1.2% by weight. Suitable colorantcompounds are known to those of skill in the art.

[0058] One or the other of the container lid 24 and the container base22 of the containers of the invention can be transparent, translucent oropaque. There are certain advantages associated with either of thecontainer lid 24 or the container base 22 being transparent ortranslucent. For example, when the container lid 24 is transparent, theuser of the container 20 can readily determine the quantity of wet wipesremaining in the container 20. That is, the user can determine thequantity of wet wipes remaining in the container 20 without having toopen the container lid 24 of the container. This is useful, in part,because some wet wipe products are sold without containers in refillpacks. The consumer may make intermittent purchases of the wet wipes ina container 20, such as described herein but may also make supplementalpurchases of the wet wipes in refill packs. The consumers may refill thecontainer 20 with wet wipes purchased as part of the refill packs. Whenthe container lid 24 and container base 22 are translucent, thecontainer 20 of the invention is desirable for secondary uses. Forexample, when a consumer no longer uses the container 20 for holding wetwipes, the consumer may want to use the container 20 to store smalltoys, art supplies and other household items. If the container 20 istranslucent, one can see what is inside of the container 20 withouthaving to open the lid 24 or without having to relocate items that maybe on top of or around the container 20.

[0059] Aesthetic and functional advantages are also obtained when one orthe other of the container lid 24 or container base 22 are colored. Forexample, differently colored containers can be used to distinguish thepackaging for different types of wet wipe products. Similarly, aestheticand functional advantages can be achieved when the container lid 24 orthe container base 22 have graphics printed on them. In addition toaesthetic benefits, the graphics can be used to distinguish betweenvarious wet wipe product types.

[0060] As already described herein, the container lid 24 and thecontainer base 22 can be formed of a single integral piece or be formedas separate pieces. With respect to containers of the invention that areformed from two separate pieces, the container lid 24 is attached orconnected to the container base 22 using a variety of techniques knownto those of skill in the art. In some embodiments, the container lid 24and the container base 22 are attached at their rear walls. The rearwall 44 of the container lid 24 can be attached to the rear wall 32 ofthe container base 22 through the use of glues, adhesives or otherbonding agents; through heat sealing; through ultrasonic bonding; orthrough the use of physical connectors such as pins or interlockingmembers.

[0061] In another embodiment of the present invention, the container 20includes a container base 22 and a separate container lid 24 that isattached to the container base 22. As representatively illustrated inFIGS. 6-8, the rear wall 44 of the container lid 24 has an outwardlyextending flange 60. The outwardly extending flange 60 is generallytwo-dimensional and the flange 60 has a width 61 and a length 63. Theoutwardly extending flange 60 extends away from the plane of the rearwall 44 in a primarily perpendicular direction. The flange 60 includesthree general areas: the area nearest the rear wall 44, that is, theimmediately adjacent area 66; the hinge channel 64; and the attachmentarea 62. The attachment area 62 is located furthest away from the rearwall and the hinge channel 64 is centrally located between theimmediately adjacent area 66 and the attachment area 62. Each of thethree areas or sections of the flange 60 is primarily linear in shapeand each area has an individual length, width and thickness. The threeareas are generally parallel to each other and extend in a directionthat is primarily parallel to the rear wall 44 of the container lid 24.The rear wall 32 of the container base 22 has a top or upper portion 52that runs linearly along the portion of the rear wall 32 that isfurthest away from the bottom 28. The top portion 52 has an outwardlyextending lip 70. The outwardly extending lip 70 is generally planar andextends away from the top portion 52 in a direction that is primarilyperpendicular. The container lid 24 is attached to the container base 22by attachment of the flange 60 to the outwardly extending lip 70. Morespecifically, the attachment area 62 of the flange 60 is attached to theoutwardly extending lip 70. Therefore, in general terms, the containerlid 24 and the container base 22 are attached to each other along theirrear walls. The attachment area 62 and the outwardly extending lip 70can be attached to each other using any of the techniques generallyknown to those of skill in the art. One example of a suitable techniqueis ultrasonic bonding.

[0062] In one embodiment of the invention, the end edges of the flange60 can be tapered. The tapering of the flange 60 ends results in theends of the flange 60 being curved. When an end of the flange 60 has acurvilinear shape, the end forms an angle 69, depicted in FIG. 8, awayfrom the rear wall 44 that is less than ninety degrees. In conventionalcontainers, the edge of the hinge between the container lid andcontainer base can be perpendicular, or at ninety degrees, with the backpanel of the container lid. Provision of a curvilinear shape and angleof less than ninety degrees provides several advantages to the container20. Curvature of the end edges of the flange 60 gives a moreuser-friendly container 20 in that the flange 60 is less likely to catchon fabric or skin. When the flange 60 edges are tapered along a curve,the immediately adjacent area 66 has the greatest length and theattachment area 62 has the smallest length. While the length of theflange 60 does not typically exceed the length of the rear wall 44, thelengths of the three areas can vary depending on whether and how thetapering is executed. For example, in a particular embodiment, thelength of the hinge channel 64 can be from about 60% to about 85% of thelength of the rear wall 44. The length of the attachment area 62 can befrom about 50% to about 75% of the length of the rear wall 44.

[0063] In an additional embodiment of the invention, the hinge channel64 has two ends, each end of the hinge channel 64 including an endregion 68. The hinge channel 64 has a primary thickness and the endregions 68 have a secondary thickness. The secondary thickness of theend regions 68 is generally greater than the primary thickness of thehinge channel 64. For example, the primary thickness of the hingechannel 64 can be from about 0.005 inches to about 0.015 inches. Thesecondary thickness of the end regions 68 is from about 20% to about100% greater than the primary thickness. In a similar embodiment, theoverall thickness of the outwardly extending flange 60 varies along thewidth of the flange 60. As with the tapered flange 60 length describedherein, the thickness of the flange 60 can have a gradual change acrossthe three areas of the flange 60. An example of the gradual change ortapering of the thickness of the flange 60 is depicted in FIG. 8.

[0064] In one example of a flange 60 of the invention, the immediatelyadjacent area 66 has an initial thickness 73 of about 0.040 inches atthe point nearest the rear wall 44. The end region 68 of the hingechannel 64 has a thickness 65 of about 0.015 inches; the remainder ofthe hinge channel 64 has a thickness 67 of about 0.009 inches. Thethickness of the flange 60 can then increase over the transition fromthe end region 68 or hinge channel 64 to the attachment area 62. Theattachment area 62 is shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B as having a thickness 71that is approximately the same as the thickness 73 of the immediatelyadjacent area 66, however the thicknesses 71 and 73 can be different. Asshown in FIG. 8A, the thickness 73 of the flange 60 in the immediatelyadjacent area 66 can gradually thin from about 0.040 inches to about0.015 inches, the thickness 65 of the end region 68. The thickness 65 ofthe flange 60 can remain fairly constant over the width of the endregion 68. On the other side of the end region 68, the thickness 71 ofthe flange 60 would gradually increase across the width of theattachment area 62 until the thickness 71 reached a value of about 0.040inches. The variation in the thickness 73 of the immediately adjacentarea 66, the thickness 67 of the hinge channel 64 and the thickness 71of the attachment area 62 over the width of the flange 60 is depictedgenerally in FIG. 8B.

[0065] With the containers of the invention, performance benefits areseen with a container lid 24 having an outwardly extending flange 60from the rear wall 44 where the flange 60 has a hinge channel 64 with anend region 68 of a greater secondary thickness 65. When the hingechannel 64 has an end region 68 of a secondary thickness 65, the hingechannel 64 is more resistant to tearing. The hinged areas ofconventional containers typically are susceptible to tearing afterrepeated use. Apparently, the hinge becomes strained over time to thepoint of tearing from the repeated opening and closing of the lid. Inorder to demonstrate the improved tear resistance of the containers ofthe invention, the apparatus depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10 was constructedto simulate repetitive opening and closing of a container lid 24. Arepresentation of a flex test instrument 80 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.The flex test instrument 80 can simulate container lid 24 motion on twocontainers 20 at a time. The flex test instrument 80 includes a motorassembly 82 that is housed approximately in the center of the instrumentplatform 90. The motor assembly 82 includes a gear motor, motorcontroller and miter gear. Suitable motor assembly 82 components can bepurchased by part number from the following manufacturers: (1) GearMotor- W. W. Grainger, Part #4Z539; (2) Motor Controller- W. W.Grainger, Part #4Z527; and (3) Miter Gear- W. M. Berg, Part #MX-3-D. Themotor assembly 82 drives rotating motion arm 84 through a range ofmotion that emulates the range of motion experienced by a container lid24 from repeated opening and closing. Relative to the vertical plane,the rotating motion arm 84 moves over a range of from about −78° toabout +78°. Each cycle of the rotating motion arm 84 is detected andrecorded by a counter 92. A suitable counter 92 is part number H7CS-B ofthe Omron Corporation of Japan, or an equivalent.

[0066]FIG. 9 shows operation of the flex test instrument 80 when thecontainer lids 24 are in a virtually closed position and FIG. 10 showsthe flex test instrument 80 when the container lids 24 are in an openposition. In setting up the flex test instrument 80 to perform a test,the containers 20 are placed on the platform 90 of the instrument 80.The containers are placed between two spacer bars, one in front of thecontainer 20 and one behind the container 20. The rear spacer bars arenot visible in the figures. The front spacer bar is an adjustable spacerbar 88 and can be moved rearwardly through rotation of a knob 94 until aposition is achieved that firmly holds the container 20 on the platform90. Each branch of the rotating motion arm 84 terminates with a slottedend 86. The slotted end 86 slides over and clips to a portion of thefront wall 42 of the container lid 24. In order to demonstrate theimproved tear resistance associated with the containers of theinvention, comparative tests were conducted between a conventionalcontainer and a container 20 of the invention using the flex testinstrument 80. To represent a conventional container, a HUGGIES NATURALCARE® container was tested. The container 20 of the invention had aseparate container lid 24 with an outwardly extending flange 60. Theoutwardly extending flange 60 included a hinge channel 64 having aprimary thickness 67, the hinge channel 64 having an end region 68 of agreater secondary thickness 65. The primary thickness 67 was about 0.009inches and the secondary thickness 65 was about 0.015 inches. The flextest instrument 80 was operated at about 50 cycles/min. The conventionalHUGGIES NATURAL CARE® container experienced tearing across the entirelength of the hinged area after about 9,000 cycles. The representativecontainer 20 of the invention experienced no tearing of the hingechannel 64 after about 28,000 cycles.

[0067] The present invention is also directed to a wet wipe container 20having a container lid 24 that is connected to a container base 22 and aclosure 56 that is configured to releasably hold the container lid 24 onthe container base 22 in a closed position. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-8,the container lid 24 is hingedly connected to the container base 22. Thecontainer base 22 includes a front wall 30 that extends upward from abottom 28. The front wall 30 has a top surface 72. The top surface 72 isin a position that is furthest away on the front wall 30 from the bottom28. The closure 56 includes an upright tongue projection 58 that iscontinuous with and extends upward from the top surface 72. The tongueprojection 58 has curved edges and is generally semi-circular inconfiguration. The tongue projection 58 is of a length suitable forgripping. The tongue projection 58 includes a flattened grip area 74.The flattened grip area 74 is approximately of a length that can beeasily pushed against by a full size human finger or thumb. Theflattened grip area 74 is generally located in the center of the tongueprojection 58 and may have a width that is greater than the width of thetongue projection 58. The larger width of the grip area 74 can create aflat surface on the top of the tongue projection 58 for improvedperformance.

[0068] The top surface 72 may also include an arcuate depression 76 thatis located primarily below the flattened grip area 74 of the tongueprojection 58. In addition to the tongue projection 58 and the arcuatedepression 76, the top surface may further include an assistive region78. The assistive region 78 is positioned below the arcuate depression76 and has a shape that is generally concentric, and thereforesemi-circular, with the configuration of the tongue projection 58. Therise of the semi-circular assistive region 78 approaches but does notneed to touch the arcuate depression 76. The closure 56 also includes anaperture 98. The aperture 98 is formed within the front wall 42 of thecontainer lid 24. The front wall 42 has a convex portion 96 that extendssomewhat outward and away from the front wall 42 in aperpendicularly-oriented direction. The aperture 98 is long enough toaccommodate the length of the tongue projection 58. When the container20 is in a closed position, the tongue projection 58 extends upwardthrough the aperture 98. In another embodiment, the tongue projection 58could extend downward from the front wall 42 of the container lid 42 andthe aperture 98 could be located within the top surface 72 of the frontwall 30 of the container base 22.

[0069] Either of the container lid 24 and the container base 22 can betransparent or translucent. Further, either of the container lid 24 andthe container base 22 can be colored. In some applications, it isdesirable to have the container lid 24 be of a different color than thecontainer base 22. If the container lid 24 is colored, the aperture 98is more visible and the container 20 is easier to close. It is alsoeasier to determine that the container 20 is securely closed when thecomponents of the closure 56 have different colors.

[0070] The closure 26 provides a more user-friendly and ergonomic way toopen the container 20. The closure 26 of the invention provides forsingle hand opening and closing of the container 20. Single handcontainer opening is important for some wet wipe applications such asfor diapering of a young child. In the case of baby wipes, often times aparent must use one hand to hold the child while changing a diaper andthen must use their other hand to pick up a wipe for cleaning. If theparent does not open the wipe container 20 before beginning the diaperchanging process, then they must do it single handedly while changingthe diaper. The baby wipe container 20 of the invention is very easilyopened with one hand. In one method of opening the container 20, one ortwo fingers can be placed on top of the tongue projection 58 while thethumb is placed under the convex portion 96 of the container lid 24 andagainst the assistive region 78. With the fingers in this type ofarrangement on the closure 26, the thumb can push against the assistiveregion 78 to raise the container lid 24 up and over the flattened griparea 74. The guide ridge 50 located on the underside of the top 40 ofthe container lid 24 maintains the container lid 24 in a partially openposition. The partially open position of the container lid 24 preventsthe container 20 from tipping over if a small number of wipes remain inthe container 20.

[0071] In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a wetwipe container 20 that has a container base 22 and a container lid 24that is connected to the container base 22. The container base 22includes a bottom 28 and a front wall 30, rear wall 32 and a pair ofopposed side walls 34, 36. The walls extend upward from the bottom 28 ina generally rectangular configuration to provide an interior 38 forcontaining the wet wipes. The walls may have one or more generallylinear ribs 100 formed into the walls. The ribs 100 can be linear orslightly curved. The spacing between the ribs 100 can vary and the ribs100 can be oriented either horizontally or vertically. As seen in FIG.5, the ribs 100 are generally horizontal across their length. Where theribs end at opposite corners of the container, the ends of the adjoinedribs form generally vertical ribs.

[0072]FIGS. 11 A to 11E, inclusive, in combination with FIGS. 5 and 7,illustrate some examples of configurations for ribs 100. FIG. 11Aspecifically depicts the configuration illustrated in FIG. 5. FIGS. 11Bto 11E, inclusive, illustrate, from a similar perspective, alternateconfigurations for the ribs 100. A rib generally includes a flat portionof the container wall and an irregular portion 101 adjoining the flatportion(s). An irregular portion can be, e.g., an inward step (FIG.11A), an outward step (FIG. 11B), a channel (FIG. 11C), or a protrusion(FIGS. 11D and 11E). The irregularity can include curved or sharp edges,such that the u-shaped channels seen in FIG. 11C could be v-shaped, withbox-like corners, or with other geometric configurations. In oneembodiment, the irregularity can differ from the adjacent flat portions(i.e., stick in or out at their greatest point) in the range of about0.5 mm to about 5 mm, more preferably from about 1 mm to about 4 mm, andstill more preferably from about 2 mm to about 3 mm.

[0073] The ribs 100 provide several benefits including a moreaesthetically appealing appearance and a container base 22 that can bemore easily gripped and handled. The ribs 100 make it easier to pick upand hold the container 20. Another benefit of the ribs 100 is that theribs 100 substantially improve the compression strength of the container20. During shipping and storage and even during display, containers arestacked vertically on top of each other. Depending on how manycontainers are stacked, a given container 20 experiences some amount ofvertical compression force. Conventional containers are susceptible tocrushing and buckling when they have a quantity of containers stacked ontop of them. Conventional container lids become crushed in a downwarddirection and the container bases buckle from the vertical force. Thepresence of ribs 100 formed into one or more walls of the container base22 gives the container 20 overall better resistance to compressiveforces. Therefore, the containers 20 of the invention experience lesscrushing and are more resistant to buckling. The ribs 100 can vary inlength and can be of varying length within a given wall.

[0074] Comparative testing has been performed to demonstrate theimproved compression strength of a container with ribs 100. The testingis done, generally, under TAPPI standard procedures and conditions whichwould be applicable except as otherwise noted. A standard tensiletester, such as a SINTECH™ Model #1/G equipped with TestWorks™ 3.10software for Windows, or comparable equipment, can be used. Both theSintech™ test machine and TestWorks™ software are available from MTSCorporation located at 1400 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie, Minn., USA.The measurement procedure begins by installing a bottom compressionplate (measuring about 30 cm by 30 cm) to the base of the tensiletester. Next an upper compression plate (measuring about 30 cm by 30 cm)is connected to a 91 Kg load cell, making sure the upper plate isparallel to the lower plate. Then the distance between the two plates isadjusted to be about 4.4. inches (11 cm). A container with the lidclosed is placed in the center of the lower plate. The tensile tester isthen activated so the upper compression plate moves downward andcompresses the container at an initial speed of about 10 cm/minute and atest speed of about 25 cm/minute. The upper plate stops after travelingdownward for a distance of about 3.2 inches (8 cm). The criticaldistance here is only what is necessary to generate the yield point,i.e., first spike in the graph, for testing purposes. As of the yieldpoint the container first buckles under the compression force and thesubsequent applied force is not relevant to our consideration here. Aload (i.e., compression force) versus traveling distance is recordedusing the TestWorks™ 3.10 software. FIGS. 12 and 13 demonstrate such acurve for two different runs of the test.

[0075] In reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, the test for measuring thecompression strength of a container (i.e., without any ribs on the fourcontainer walls is seen in FIG. 12, and with ribs on the four containerwalls and a container like that seen in FIG. 1 is seen in FIG. 12) asexplained above was conducted on ten like samples (i.e., ten like thatof FIG. 12 and ten like that of FIG. 13). On the curve, the points 110and 112, respectively, depict where the load first started dropping andthese were defined as a yield point. From this time forward, buckling ofthe container due to compression occurred. The energy at the yield point(e.g., 110 and 112, respectively), which is the area under the curve upto the yield point, was calculated by the TestWorks™ 3.10 software. Forthe ten samples like that of FIG. 12, the yield load and energy rangedfrom 73.2 (Lb) and 8.12 (inch-Lb) to 89.3 (Lb) and 11.90 (inch-Lb), withan average yield load and energy of 83.2 (Lb) and 10.21 (inch-Lb). Forthe ten samples like that of FIG. 13, the yield load and energy rangedfrom 74.3 (Lb) and 11.36 (inch-Lb) to 87.0 (Lb) and 16.42 (inch-Lb),with an average yield load and energy of 81.2 (Lb) and 13.33 (inch-Lb).Comparing these results, then, one concludes that a container with ribsrequires about 30% more energy to cause the walls to buckle. That is, acontainer with ribs has an enhanced compression strength over acontainer without ribs, all else held constant. Without being limited toa theory of operation, this enhanced compression strength is believed tobe attributable to the increased surface area the ribs 100 can provide acontainer wall and/or the way the ribs 100 can more evenly spread outthe compression force to the container wall as a whole. Accordingly, thedifferent aspects of the present invention can advantageously providecontainers for wet wipes which, when compared to conventional containersfor wet wipes, provide improved single handed opening and dispensing.Such containers are particularly useful for dispensing baby wipes sincethe care giver typically only has one hand free during the diaperingprocess. Thus, the containers for wet wipes of the present invention arereliably and easily opened by one hand of the user or care giver forimproved convenience and personal hygiene. Additionally, the containersof the invention can maintain a partially open position of the containerlid and provide better alignment between the container lid and thecontainer base. The container lids of the invention are also more tearresistant and are less likely to fail upon repeated opening and closingof the lid. Further, the containers of the invention have improvedcompression strength and are more difficult to crush.

[0076] While the invention has been described in detail with respect tothe specific aspects thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilledin the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing, mayreadily conceive of alterations to, variations of, and equivalents tothese aspects. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should beassessed as that of the appended claims and any equivalents thereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wet wipe container including a container baseand a container lid that is connected to the container base comprising:the container base includes a bottom and a front wall, a rear wall and apair of opposed side walls that extend upwardly from the bottom toprovide an interior for containing the wet wipes; and at least one ofthe walls has a plurality of generally linear ribs formed therein. 2.The wet wipe container of claim 1 wherein the ribs are orientedvertically.
 3. The wet wipe container of claim 1 wherein the ribs areoriented horizontally.
 4. The wet wipe container of claim 1 wherein theribs are of variable length.
 5. The wet wipe container of claim 1wherein each rib of the plurality of generally linear ribs comprises aflat portion and an irregular portion.
 6. The wet wipe container ofclaim 5 wherein the irregular portion comprises a member from the groupconsisting of an inward step, an outward step, a channel, or aprotrusion.
 7. The wet wipe container of claim 5 wherein the irregularportion differs from the flat portion adjacent thereto in the range ofabout 0.5 mm to about 5 mm.
 8. The wet wipe container of claim 5 whereinthe irregular portion differs from the flat portion adjacent thereto inthe range of about 1 mm to about 4 mm.
 9. The wet wipe container ofclaim 5 wherein the irregular portion differs from the flat portionadjacent thereto in the range of about 2 mm to about 3 mm.
 10. The wetwipe container of claim 1 wherein the plurality of generally linear ribscontribute to improving the compression strength of the at least onewall of the container.
 11. A wet wipe container including a containerbase and a container lid that is connected to the container basecomprising: the container base includes a bottom and a front wall, arear wall and a pair of opposed side walls that extend upwardly from thebottom to provide an interior for containing the wet wipes; and at leasttwo opposing walls from a group consisting of the front wall, the backwall and the opposed side walls, each opposing wall having a pluralityof generally linear ribs formed therein wherein the plurality ofgenerally linear ribs provide an enhanced compression strength to therespective wall by more evenly spreading out an applied compressionforce for the respective walls having the plurality of generally linearribs formed therein.
 12. The wet wipe container of claim 11 wherein theribs are oriented vertically.
 13. The wet wipe container of claim 11wherein the ribs are oriented horizontally and comprise an inward stepor an outward step.
 14. The wet wipe container of claim 11 wherein theribs are of variable length.
 15. The wet wipe container of claim 11wherein each rib of the plurality of generally linear ribs comprises aflat portion and an irregular portion.
 16. The wet wipe container ofclaim 15 wherein the irregular portion differs from the flat portionadjacent thereto in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm.
 17. The wetwipe container of claim 15 wherein the irregular portion differs fromthe flat portion adjacent thereto in the range of about 1 mm to about 4mm.
 18. The wet wipe container of claim 15 wherein the irregular portiondiffers from the flat portion adjacent thereto in the range of about 2mm to about 3 mm.
 19. A wet wipe container including a container baseand a container lid that is connected to the container base comprising:the container base includes a bottom and a front wall, a rear wall and apair of opposed side walls that extend upwardly from the bottom toprovide an interior for containing the wet wipes; a portion of a wallfrom the group consisting of the front wall, the back wall and theopposed side walls, having a length dimension and a width dimension; andmeans for increasing a surface area of the portion of the wall whilestill maintaining the same length dimension and the same width dimensionfor the portion of the wall to thereby improve the compression strengthof the portion of the wall.
 20. The wet wipe container of claim 19wherein the means for increasing comprises the portion of the wallhaving a plurality of generally linear ribs formed therein.